The present invention relates to apparatus to spread known granular and liquid treatment materials. The apparatus is particularly useful in the lawn and garden environments to spread granular and liquid fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides, fungicides and the like to enhance and control plant growth.
Proper treatment and maintenance of soils, lawns, gardens and the like must be periodically performed in order to enhance and control plant growth. For example, many homeowners know that lawn maintenance can be a long and difficult project. Lawn maintenance can vary widely depending on such factors as terrain characteristics, climate, and the amount and type of previous care given to the lawn. However, proper lawn maintenance should include the application of various types of seed, fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, and other such materials depending on the condition of the lawn be treated and the desired treatment outcome. These materials are typically available as solid granular materials or liquid solutions.
Prior to the present invention to be described herein, separate compact hand operated apparatus for the treatment of a lawn with either liquid or granular material were known. With these systems, the lawn is first treated with one type of material using one hand operated apparatus, and subsequently treated with the second material using another hand operated apparatus. Use of these separate systems results in a duplication of time and labor at an increased cost. Also, duplication of operator efforts using such systems adds substantially to the fatigue experienced by the operator.
One prior device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,090 which describes a rotary spreader where material is deposited on a rotary disc and is broadcast upon rotation of the disc as the spreader is manually pushed. This spreader includes a deflector used with the rotating disc. The deflector functions to intercept the material broadcast by the disc, which material would normally be directed to one side of the spreader, and redirect that material to the other side of the spreader. Because this device can only spread granular material, other devices must be used to apply the liquid treatment material. This results in duplication of operator efforts and requires the operator to have two different devices available, thus increasing the operator's overall costs.
Another prior device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,486. That device is said to be capable of both spreading granular material and spraying a liquid; however, this device is hand operated, and the operator must manually push the apparatus over the lawn area. Because the apparatus carries not only granular treatment material but also liquid treatment material, it is substantially heavier in use than the typical spreader carrying one or the other material. Thus, when fully loaded it is more difficult to overcome the device's rolling resistance. Moreover, this device requires that it be moving in order for the liquid material to be sprayed. Further, the device disclosed in this patent provides the capability of spraying the liquid material only to relatively wide open turf areas. However, typical lawn areas are interspersed and surrounded by ornamental plantings, gardens, overhanging shrubs, and the like, which could be damaged by contact with certain liquid treatment materials. To avoid damage to these areas, the operator of this known apparatus must avoid spraying too close. However, gaps in spray coverage can result in unacceptable imperfections in the turf. Consequently, the operator must transverse the lawn area a second time with a hand operated sprayer to perform the close-in detailed trimming. This, of course, can substantially increase time, labor, cost, and operator fatigue associated with tending such areas.
A further prior device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,352,463. That patent describes a motor driven lawn treatment spreader that contains means for spreading dry materials. The device is also equipped with a hose connection that enables it to be connected via a hose to a source of liquid material carried on a stand-alone vehicle, such as a truck or van. The truck or van carries a pump that pumps the liquid material through the hose to the spreader. Thus, while this device has the capability of applying both dry and liquid treatment materials, it requires a separate truck or van as the carrying source of the liquid material and a hose of sufficient length to permit ready application of the liquid. Because the device pulls the hose (and the liquid carried therethrough), it is possible that in certain uses the overall weight of the hose and the liquid carried therein will exceed the pulling power of the motor driven spreader. In addition, pulling the hose along a lawn may result in damage to ornamental plantings, and the like, unless care is taken during use. Furthermore, this device is propelled via a chain and sprocket assembly operating in conjunction with the motor. Such arrangement may be susceptible to detrimental wear when pulling the liquid-carrying hose.
It is apparent from the aforementioned prior devices, which are typical of the lawn spreader art, that none of the disclosed compact or hand operated spreaders or sprayers, or combined spreader-sprayers fully eliminates the duplication of work-which must be performed by the operator of such devices.
That is, since each of the prior single function carts performs only a single operation an operator must first treat a lawn with either only a liquid or granular type material, and subsequently repeat the treatment with the other type of material. This duplicative two-stage lawn treatment procedure is obviously time consuming and expensive. Moreover, because the device described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,486 performs only wide area application of liquid and granular products, an operator must subsequently repeat the treatment of the liquid product in narrow turf areas and around susceptible ornamental plantings. This duplicative two-stage lawn treatment procedure is, again, time consuming and expensive. Further, from the disclosed art in U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,486 describing the multi-function cart, it is impossible to operate a hand-held narrow area spray nozzle from a stationary position even if so equipped due to the fact that the above-mentioned cart must be in motion to pump the liquid. The stationary trimming feature is most advantageous where precision work is required of the operator and movement would interfere with the precise placement of the liquid product.
In addition, it is apparent from the disclosed art covering manually operated compact walk-behind spreaders, sprayers, or combination spreader-sprayers that none of the disclosed compact or hand-operated spreaders, or sprayers, or spreader-sprayers eliminates the operator fatigue caused by the exertion required to manually propel the devices. That is, because the disclosed carts requires an operator to push them, the lawn treatment procedure or procedures are obviously fatiguing.
In any event, as evident from the foregoing, there is no suggestion in the known compact hand operated lawn treatment art to provide a self-contained, self-propelled spreader capable of both spreading granular material and spraying liquid material to wide areas of the lawn and spraying liquid material to narrow trim areas of the lawn while on the move or from a stationary position.
The present invention overcomes these and other disadvantages by providing a compact self-contained, self-propelled walk behind lawn treatment apparatus which enables its operator selectively to spread granular material to wide areas of the lawn, to spray liquid material to wide areas of the lawn, to spray liquid to narrow areas of the lawn, and to simultaneously perform any two or more of these functions. The present invention is designed to eliminate the duplication of steps now required to spread granular and liquid materials to all areas of the lawn using a walk behind spreader, and to reduce the physical exertion required to operate a compact walk behind spreader.
In a further aspect of the present invention, a number of commercially available compact hand operated granular spreaders can be readily retrofitted to provide the self-propelled and spray features of the present invention.